On May 3, 1802, the first permanent Marine hospital was authorized to be built in Boston, Mass. A more permanent home for the Boston Marine Hospital was found in 1804 in the Charlestown section of Boston.

The rules and orders for this establishment were printed in April, 1808 and signed by Dr. Benjamin Waterhouse, who was the physician in charge

Waterhouse introduced into the United States in 1800 the technique of smallpox vaccination discovered in England by Dr. Edward Jenner. Smallpox was one of the most dreaded epidemic diseases in America during the 17th and 18th centuries.